#cocofina

In the Marley Spoon test kitchen we’re often drizzling olive oil left and right: we love the fragrant, peppery flavour of a good olive oil, and often it’s all you need to finish a salad, soup or pasta dish. But lately we’ve been wild about coconut oil. And it's no wonder - coconut oil has recently become a highly sought after staple in health food circles for its beneficial fatty acids. It can be used when cooking both sweet and savoury foods alike, and also makes a great vegan substitute for butter. As this oil has a high smoking point, it is perfect for stir-frying, baking and deep-frying. It can also be used as a vegetable oil substitute. The magic of this silky substance! 

At Marley Spoon, we work directly with exciting, ethical producers to bring the very best ingredients to your table. That's why our go-to source for all things coconut is Cocofina! Cocofina brings honest, healthy and quality coconut goodies to the world with no hidden ingredients, additives or preservatives. 

Spice up your weeknight dinners with Marley Spoon & Cocofina! 

Next week, we're sending Cocofina's creamy coconut oil in our recipe boxes to match our Paneer & Cavolo Nero Salad with Coconut-Lime Dressing & Naan. Simply click this link to sign up or visit your account and add this recipe to your box for delivery week commencing 26 September. First time customer? Use the code COCOFINA20 for £20 off your first recipe box. 

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COOKING TIPS: how to use our favourite healthy fat in your everyday cooking

You may have heard, there are dozens of ways to use coconut oil outside of the kitchen. Lathered onto dry skin to moisturize or as an ingredient in natural deodorant and toothpaste, the list goes on. But we’re interested in its culinary powers. 

We asked Chef Dawn Perry from our culinary team how to sneak coconut oil into our everyday cooking.

There are two kinds of coconut oils you should keep an eye out for: extra-virgin coconut oil and refined, expeller-pressed (nonhydrogenated) coconut oil.

Extra-virgin coconut oil has a fairly strong flavour with mildly tropical notes. Its mellow sweetness allows for naturally sweet ingredients to shine, such as softened onions and caramelized root vegetables. No wonder it’s especially good in desserts, smoothies and other sugary delights. Coconut oil is a terrific dairy-free substitute for butter in desserts, muffins, cakes and no-bake pie crusts.

We also love refined expeller-pressed coconut oil for a higher smoke point. To sauté veggies and crisp rice, to sear chicken at high heat for a golden-brown bubbling skin, to fry Thai curry paste before adding coconut milk. In all cases, it performs excellently so you’ll no longer have to worry about burning your oil (goodbye oxidized black-speckled olive oil!) next time you’re sizzling over a high flame. Our favourite combinations perfectly paired with coconut oil include greens such as bok choy, snow peas, broccoli and okra, delicate curries and thick lentil or veggie stews. We find that coconut oil is less slick than other fats, and has a lighter mouth-feel than vegetable oil. While refined coconut oil is fairly discreet, you’ll still want to avoid it in certain dishes where it might overpower the other flavours.

So, next time you’re cooking, why not give coconut oil a try - the addictive, nutty aftertaste, faintly tropical but mostly warming, is reason enough (can you tell we're just shy of eating it straight up from the spoon?).